Always Watching Over You
by Leanne8582
Summary: Leo/Piper. Leo POV. Introspective. Leo has always been watching over Piper. What will happen when he has to let her go? Please R&R!


Title: Always Watching Over You   
  
Author: Leanne8582   
  
Rating: PG   
  
Summery: Leo/Piper. Leo POV. Introspective. Leo has always been watching over Piper. What will happen when he has to let her go?   
  
Spoilers: General info from seasons 1-5 and a few spoilers from "A Witch's Tail" Episode 5.1 and "Love Hurts" Episode 1.21. Takes place during season 5.   
  
Feedback: Yes. To keep the muse healthy, it must be fed daily.   
  
Archive: If you want it you can have it. Just email me and let me know first.   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed. Aaron Spelling does.   
  
Author's Note: This story is unbetad. All mistakes are my own. Since the charmed writing staff sucks about things like continuity, for all info regarding Leo's age, I'll be using the "Love Hurts" episode as canon for this story. In it, Leo states that he dropped out of medical school to enlist in the army as a medic. That would have meant he was 23 or 24. He also said that he died shortly after enlisting at the battle of Guadalcanal in 1942.   
  
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Always Watching Over You   
  
  
I've always been watching over Piper. I'm watching over her now.   
  
She doesn't know that I do this. That I wait for her to fall asleep and then I watch her. She thinks that I'm asleep now too. She might get a little freaked out if she knew. It's just that, I don't have anything else to do. Whitelighters don't need sleep like mortals do. Occasionally I'll drift off, but since becoming a Whitelighter, I've never slept for more than an hour at a time. And for me to sleep at all is a rare occasion. It has to do with the need to be alert at all times. I could get a call from a charge twenty-four hours a day. It wouldn't do for me to be asleep when it comes.   
  
I don't mind though. I don't miss sleeping. One nice part is never really being tired. Or sick, for that matter. Or sore. Or hungry. Oh, I know I eat. But eating for me is more like a habit. It's funny. I died when I was twenty-three years old. That means for approximately twenty-one years I had gotten three squares a day. That's a hard habit to break. I could survive without food of course. The only times I get really hungry are when I've been orbing a lot and my natural energy reserves are drained. That's also when I become tired enough to sleep.  
  
If it weren't for the fact that I'd disturb Piper, I would just get up and do some work around the house. I mean, it's no mystery as to why I first introduced myself as a handyman. This place needs a lot of maintenance. The house is probably about 100 years old. if it's not the plumbing, it the electrical wiring. And if it's not that, it's the roof, or the wallpaper, or the shutters, or flooring, or heaven knows what else.  
  
I don't mind that either. At least it keeps me busy. And useful. It's not like I can go out and get a job to contribute to the family income. Ever since Paige quit her job, I've been a little concerned about the finances. I shouldn't be. After all, P3 is wildly successful and Phoebe's making more as an advice columnist than we ever thought she would. The household is not strapped for cash. And I know that being a Whitelighter is the most important thing I could ever be doing. It's just that I can't help it. I was raised in a time where the men went out and supported the family and the women stayed home and took care of the house. I would never admit it to Piper, but the fact that she is the wage earner in our relationship really bugs me sometimes.   
  
I sigh and look down as Piper snuggles closer to me. I reach down and brush a long lock of brown hair from her face. She'll probably cut it once the baby's born. Long hair just isn't sensible with an infant around. They like to reach up and grab whatever they can find. Hair, earrings, glasses. It would be a shame if Piper cut it. I love watching her get ready for bed. She takes her hair out of the ponytail or braids or however she had it that day. Then she sits on the edge of the bed in her nightgown and brushes it out. She has this antique silver brush set that she inherited from Grams. She likes to take these long, slow strokes that start at the top of her head and go all the way down to the end of her hair. I know this is stupid, but the best part of my day is watching my wife brush out her hair.   
  
The arm I have around Piper pulls her a little closer. I love her so much. And now, with the baby coming, I love her even more. I never thought I'd have the chance to be a father. Of course, Lillian and I talked about children, but we both decided to wait until after the war. Then I died, and I put the thought of ever having kids out of my mind. I mean, what is the point on dwelling on something that can never happen, right? Then, Piper and I fell in love and the rest his history.   
  
I still can't believe she's pregnant. I can't wait to be a dad. Watching our child take her first steps. Say her first word. Teaching her ride a bike, and when she's older, to drive a car. Also teaching her about her powers. That's one thing I can do for her that Piper can't. Teaching her to orb, and to still the loudness of the outside world so that she can hear the voice of her heart. Also, watching her grow up. Watching her grow up.   
  
That's something Piper and I haven't talked about. I know it's a bridge that we'll have to cross sooner or later. When I died at Guadalcanal I was 24 years old. That was sixty years ago. I still look the same today as I did then. And in another sixty years, I will still look the same. Right now, Piper and I appear to be the same age. In ten years the age difference will be noticeable. In twenty it will be inescapable. What happens when our child appears to be the same age as me? Older than me? There is also another problem. Whitelighters are, for all intents and purposes, immortal. Unless I am killed by a Darklighter, I could, theoretically, live forever. Does that mean I'll have to bury my wife? My children? My grandchildren? If it came to that I would have to clip my wings. Living forever is meaningless if I would have to do it without Piper. I saw how tortured Sam was that he couldn't save Patty. If you ask me, that's a fate worse than death.   
  
Of course, Piper might be taken from me a lot sooner than any of us know. Our lives are inherently dangerous. Ever since Prue died, we couldn't pretend that we're invincible any longer. What really makes me steamed is the fact that I can't protect Piper. It's not my job. Whitelighters are supposed to act as guides and healers. I'm not able to protect Piper any better than a mortal. I was watching the day Piper was born. I don't know if I could stand to watch her die.  
  
I know what you're thinking. Yes, I was there when Piper was born. I was there when all the girls were born. A Whitelighter has a charge from birth until death. I always knew that there was something special about Piper though. I watched her grow and mature. All the time I loved her. All Whitelighters love their charges. It's like the love you would have for a close friend. The desire for them to be happy. But the day I "met" Piper, I could feel that love start to change. She wasn't only my charge, she was a beautiful, sensitive, loving, intelligent woman. I couldn't believe that I hadn't seen it before.  
  
The moment of our first kiss I knew that I wanted Piper to be my wife. I fought it though. I fought my feelings for her. I knew that witches and Whitelighters could never be together. I fought it, but it was no use. Piper and I were meant to be together. We were soul mates.   
  
I look out the window. The sun is rising. It's beautiful. I snuggle deeper into the bed. Piper will be up soon and I need her to wake-up and find me sleeping. Or at least pretending to. Before I close my eyes, I sneak one last look at her. Piper, my lover, my best friend, my wife, and now the mother of my child.   
  
I've always been watching over her.  
  
And no matter what happens, I always will.  
  
  
The End. 


End file.
